Avatars, Book Three: Kingdom of Twilight

The world as they knew it began disintegrating the moment they disappeared on December 21, 2012. Dropped into a post-apocalyptic aftermath eighty-five years ago, Diana, Gus, Kali, and Tigre have banded together to find a way out of this nightmare created by the gods in their quest to make one from their own pantheon the ultimate ruler. Time is against them as they sail to Africa - the only place safely beyond the gods' reach. Diana's body hovers on the brink of death, while her soul wanders a vast array of underworlds, full of ruthless and cunning deities, as she tries to make her way back to her friends. Consulting African gods leads to divergent courses for the other three avatars. As Gus fights consumption by the war god forced inside his body and enters the underworld to lead Diana out himself, Kali and Gus team up with the goddess Oya to find Eshu - a crossroads god who may solve the riddle of hows and whys of their entire lives. I wanted to give this book a Gold Star Award. Tui T. Sutherland has created an amazing, detailed, well-researched world that includes pantheons across the globe; fully-developed, relatable, fallible characters who make the reader care; and an engrossing, fast-paced plot that kept me frantically flipping the pages just so I could find out what happened next. (I also give her bonus points for extending her own story far beyond one rooted in Celtic/Greco-Roman/western European mythology and folklore). As a general rule, books comprising a trilogy should be capable of standing on their own, but also complete whatever story arcs are established in previous volumes. KINGDOM OF TWILIGHT is a superb book when taken as part of the AVATARS trilogy, but having not read the first and second installments, I found myself somewhat lost throughout the reading, especially with references to characters, circumstances, and events not making an appearance in this book. Taken as a stand-alone story, KINGDOM OF TWILIGHT leaves a little to be desired. My advice is to check out SO THIS IS HOW IT ENDS and SHADOW FALLING first to get the fullest possible enjoyment from this book, because this trio is definitely worth the time. Reviewed by: Cat